I’m Rachel Maytum, a UK-based artist whose work spans both detailed pastel portraiture and expressive abstract realism acrylic painting. Through my art, I explore the connection between people, animals, and nature, combining lifelike detail with colour, movement, and emotion to create pieces that tell a story and capture the spirit of their subjects.
Art has always been part of who I am. As a teenager, I faced a choice between pursuing a career with animals or following my dream of becoming an artist. I chose the animal path, a decision that led to many rewarding experiences but left a creative longing that stayed with me for years.
Life brought its share of challenges. A decade-long battle with Endometriosis resulted in three operations and forced me to stop working for ten years. During this time, I spent two decades living in Northern Ireland, where illness and a difficult marriage gradually eroded my confidence and sense of self.
After my divorce in 2016, I knew I needed a fresh start. In February 2019, I moved back to England to be closer to my daughter, parents, and siblings. What began as a journey of rebuilding my life soon became a journey of rediscovering myself.
Just weeks after returning home, I bought a set of pastel pencils and followed a few wildlife tutorials. On 24th February 2019, I completed my first pastel drawing, Leopard Eyes. That single piece reignited a passion that had been buried for years. A few months later, I completed my first people portrait, actor Sean Patrick Flanery, and realised I had finally found the path I was always meant to follow.
My artistic journey began with highly detailed pastel portraits, where I developed a love for capturing character, expression, and emotion. As my confidence grew, so did my desire to experiment, eventually leading me to abstract realism acrylic painting. In acrylics, I discovered the perfect balance between precision and freedom, allowing me to combine realistic subjects with expressive colours, textures, and flowing backgrounds that evoke feeling and imagination.
Today, both mediums remain an important part of my creative story. My pastel portraits showcase the craftsmanship and attention to detail that shaped my artistic foundation, while my acrylic paintings allow me to express emotion, movement, and atmosphere in a more intuitive way.
Every piece begins with a spark of inspiration; the quiet strength of an animal, a meaningful connection between subjects, a fleeting expression, or the beauty found in nature. Through layers of detail, colour, and texture, I strive to create artwork that goes beyond appearance and captures something deeper: a feeling, a memory, or a moment of connection.
Through Rachel Maytum Art, I offer original paintings, canvas prints, fine art prints, and limited edition collections for collectors who value beauty, emotion, and storytelling. I also share my creative process and artistic journey on YouTube, inviting others behind the scenes to see how each piece evolves from inspiration to finished artwork.
My hope is that every artwork I create becomes more than something beautiful to display. I hope it creates a connection between artist and viewer, between realism and imagination, and between the artwork and the emotions it inspires.
